A logical question to ask is how to register a business name for free? A main feature offered on a Secretary of State website is the ability to perform a Secretary of State business search. This will show you if a business name is already registered by someone else. Unless the business name is very unique, it is usually good to have some backup options. Once you check business name availability, you have two options. You can reserve the name for later use or you can just proceed to register the name.